The Gothic style Ronan United Methodist Church was built beginning in 1910 by the members of the congregation and opened for services in late spring of 1911. How long it has been a Mennonite church we know not.
Fairly simply built, the church has a square bell tower built into one corner of the nave, which also serves as the main entrance. The tower, today clad in vinyl siding, was given an elongated pyramidal shaped spire and, unusually, the belfry and belfry vents are above the tower proper in the spire. The bell within is visible through the vents. This is also one of the very few spires we've encountered which has no eaves, doubtless a cost cutting measure when constructed. The tower was not an original part of the church, but was added, likely sometime in the 1930s.
In 1917 the building was enlarged with an addition in 1918 and, other than the 1930s tower and the addition of vinyl siding, the church looks essentially as it did when built.
The historical plaque is mounted to the side of the entrance on a plinth made of mortared stone, atop which is a representation of one of "the Lord's Horsemen".
RONAN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The first circuit riding Methodist ministers, "the Lord's Horsemen", arrived in Montana in the 1870s to establish congregations among the territory's early population. Settlers came to the Flathead when reservation lands opened to homesteading in 1910. An itinerant minister, Reverend Welch, held services in Ronan twice a month. In December 1910, the Ronan Methodist congregation purchased the land and members began building this Gothic style church; services were held five months later.
The First Ladies Aid raised money for furnishings with numerous fundraisers including a colonial dinner, a Japanese tea, and a play at the opera house. When they ran out of ideas, the women challenged each other to earn a dollar and tell the group how she did it. They carpeted the aisle, bought lights, and paid the minister's salary. The stained glass windows, installed in 1911, and the original ornately carved organ are part of their legacy.
Construction of the annex enlarged the church in 1918 under Pastor W. I. Green. During his tenure from 1929 to 1940, Reverend Joe "Little Joe" Ashworth saw the addition of the sidewalk, lawn, and bell tower. Today the charming simplicity of this sturdy homestead-era house of worship, the oldest continuously used Methodist church in Lake County, symbolizes the faithfulness of early Methodism in the Mission Valley.
Plaque provided by the Montana Historical Society, 2006
From the Montana Historical Society plaque at the church.